


Truth or Dare

by Phineasflynns



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 15:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20744099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phineasflynns/pseuds/Phineasflynns
Summary: “Truth or dare?” Richie asks lightly, and Eddie rolls his eyes skyward.“Do we really have to play this stupid game?” He asks, annoyance clear in his voice. “What are we, five?”“I don’t think m-m-many five years olds play tr-t-truth or d-dare.”“I don’t think that was the point.” Bev snorts, and Bill shrugs.“This is stupid.” Eddie protests again. “What the fuck are we supposed to dare each other?”





	Truth or Dare

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a tumblr post by angstozier!

“Truth or dare?” Richie asks lightly, and Eddie rolls his eyes skyward. 

“Do we really have to play this stupid game?” He asks, annoyance clear in his voice. “What are we, five?”

“I don’t think m-m-many five years olds play tr-t-truth or d-dare.”

“I don’t think that was the point.” Bev snorts, and Bill shrugs.

“This is stupid.” Eddie protests again. “What the fuck are we supposed to dare each other?”

“I don’t know, be creative.” Richie snarks back, and Eddie bristles. 

“Richie-“

“Can you not?” Stan interrupts, and both look toward him. “Like for five minutes?”

Eddie sighs and shifts back to his original position, and Ben finally decides to speak. 

“I think it could be fun..” 

“Atta boy, Ben!” Richie beams, perking up instantly. “Come on, guys!”

The other Losers grumble lightly in protest but form a loose circle. 

“Ben, truth or dare?” Bev asks before anyone can even begin debating who should go first, and Ben hesitates. 

“Uh... truth.”

Her eyes sparkle as she smiles at him. 

“Do you have a crush on anyone?” She asks lightly, and his face burns. 

“Yes.” 

“Who?” Richie pipes up, and Eddie jumps to Ben’s defence. 

“Hey- one question! He answered it!”

“Thanks Eds.” Ben murmurs, and Richie sighs. 

They decide to go clockwise from Bev, meaning next is Bill, then Stan, then Eddie, Richie, Mike and finally Ben. The game goes smoothly for a few rounds, each loosening up and relaxing as the game goes on, until finally its Richie’s fourth turn. 

As usual, he picks Eddie. 

“Eds, truth or dare?”

“Don’t call me Eds. Truth.” 

Richie leans in closer, an unknown gleam in his eyes that makes Eddie’s stomach lurch. 

“Do you want to kiss me?”

Eddie feels as though a rug has been yanked from under his feet. The other Losers are clearly caught off guard by this as well, and in his peripheral vision Eddie sees Bev covering her mouth with her hand. 

His face burns, and humiliation starts prickling at him. 

“What the fuck, Richie?!” He snaps. Without giving the resident Trashmouth a chance to respond, he changes his answer. “Dare.”

Richie grins, slow and devious, and Eddie swallows thickly. 

“I dare you to kiss me.” 

Eddie bristles. 

“Never have I ever-“ He starts, voice near a screech, and Richie interrupts him. 

“That’s not the game!” 

“And what the fuck is the game, Rich!? Trap Eddie into kissing you!?”

“Eds-“

“Don’t fucking call me Eds!” He snarls, and Richie holds his hands up in surrender. An emotion Eddie can’t identify passes over Richie’s face -he thinks for a second it might be hurt- but it’s gone as quickly as it had appeared. 

“Jesus, sorry dude. I was kidding.”

“Well it’s not fucking funny, asshole!” Eddie hisses. “News flash, Richie, I’m not gay! I’m- I’m not one of th- I’m not gay!”

Richie looks away. 

“Got it, Edward. Loud and clear.”

Eddie screws his face up at the name. 

“I-“

“I’m going home.” Richie mutters, and before Eddie can even fully process his words Richie is on his feet and out the trap door. 

“‘One of them’?” Bill murmurs after silence has swallowed them, the angry crunch of Richie’s footsteps fading into the distance.

“I... I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then what did you mean?” Bev demands, venom dripping from her words, and Eddie flinches. “Because that? That was fucking shitty, Eddie.”

“I-“ He breaks off, looking toward his feet, heart squeezing in his chest. “I was just... scared.”

“Of what?”

“I...” Eddie looks up toward the open hatch, and pushes himself to his feet. “Of him.” He admits weakly before he scrambles for the ladder. 

Unlike Richie before him, Eddie closes the trap door behind himself before he takes off running into the woods. 

“Richie!?” He screams desperately. “Richie come back! I didn’t mean it like that!” 

Richie doesn’t answer. 

Eddie feels sick, stomach in knots. His hands shake by his sides and his eyes sting with tears, guilt weighing him down. He truly hadn’t meant it like that- he’d seen the shock on the other Losers faces and he’d panicked. He does want to kiss Richie -more than anything- but he can’t handle being the butt of Richie’s jokes.

“Rich...” Eddie murmurs, still holding out hope that he’ll find his friend. “I didn’t mean it like that..”

He stiffens when he hears a soft sniffle. Shame fills his stomach, and he hopes against hope that Richie isn’t the cause of that noise. No way he made Richie cry- no way he could ever let himself be so heartless that he actually hurt Richie. 

“Rich?” He calls weakly. 

“Go away, Edward.” Richie responds icily, voice breaking. 

“Are... are you crying?” Eddie asks, horrified, and Richie is quiet for a moment. 

“No.” He eventually lies. “Just get the fuck away from me.”

Eddie doesn’t respond, creeping closer toward where Richie’s voice had come from until he’s standing in front of him. Richie is seated at the base of a large tree, head in his hands, shoulders shaking. Eddie’s heart breaks. 

“I made you cry.” He whispers weakly, and Richie curls tighter in on himself. 

“Fuck off.”

“Richie-“ He tries, and when his hand lightly meets Richie’s arm Richie jerks away. 

“Just fuck off, Eddie!” He hollers, and Eddie flinches away. “You made your point, ok?”

“My- my point?”

“You’re not like me. I get it.”

The sinking feeling returns, and Eddie thinks he might be the worst person to ever live. 

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Eddie whispers weakly. “You have to believe me, Rich, I.. I didn’t... I don’t...”

“It’s fine. Go back to the clubhouse. You checked on me, you’ve fulfilled your obligation. Just leave me be.”

“No! I’m not just going to leave you alone out here!”

“Why?!”

“Because you’re crying! Because of me!” Eddie insists, and Richie snorts lowly. 

“I’m fine. Go back.”

“No.” Eddie says firmly, crouching in front of Eddie. He reaches his hands out and Richie flinches slightly away, but he goes motionless once more when Eddie’s fingers meet his cheeks.

He slides his hands up to wipe away the tear streaks, and Richie averts his gaze. Eddie busies himself with gently thumbing away every tear that breaks free, and when they stop he lightly brushes Richie’s curls from his face. 

“Do you hate me, now?” Richie mumbles, and Eddie feels as though he’s been slapped. 

“Huh?”

“Cause I’m... I’m gay.” He whispers weakly, refusing to meet Eddie’s gaze. “After that stuff you said, I-“

“No, Rich, I don’t hate you.” Eddie insists, and Richie finally meets his eyes. “I never could. Never would.”

“But-“

“My mom has me... brainwashed. I- I’m scared of just.. being myself.”

“Who are you?” 

“I... I am a boy... who likes other boys.” He admits, voice shaky. “One in particular.”

“Oh?” Richie breathes, eyes widening. 

“Yeah. He’s got beautiful brown eyes, and curly black hair. Stupid glasses that make his eyes look huge but also just make him heart stoppingly adorable.” Eddie replies lightly, and Richie gapes up at him. “Sound familiar?”

“I- you- But Eds, the clubhouse-“

“I’m scared of being myself, Rich. I’m scared of what my mom will do.” 

“S-So-“ Wide brown eyes stare up at Eddie with such crystal clear hope that his chest aches anew. 

“Ask me again.”

“Huh?”

“Truth or dare. Ask me again.”

“... truth or dare?” Richie asks obediently, and Eddie swallows thickly. 

“Truth.”

“Do you want to kiss me?” He parrots, and Eddie nods his head rapidly. 

“Yeah.” 

“I-“

“Truth or dare.”

“Dare.” Richie replies automatically, and the upward twitch of Eddie’s lips tells him that’s exactly what Eddie was hoping for.

“Kiss me.”

Richie doesn’t need to be told twice. He leans up and Eddie shifts slightly on his knees to meet him. The hand on Richie’s cheek shifts slightly to cup his jaw while the other tangles into the hair at the back of his neck, and Richie sighs softly as he pulls Eddie closer. 

“I’m sorry.” Eddie whispers when they part, and Richie manages a smile. 

“Thank you.” He tilts his head toward Eddie’s once more and Eddie willingly falls forward so their lips meet. 

“We can tell the Losers, but.. can we keep this between the seven of us? My mom...”

“Of course, baby.” Richie replies softly, and Eddie’s cheeks burn. “Am I allowed to call you that?” He teases. 

Eddie nods, pulling him back for another kiss. 

“Baby is definitely okay.”


End file.
